True Quality CleaningStraight talk about caring for fine garments & household textiles from an expert who calls it like it is. In plain English.

Garment Care, Green Care or both?

The drycleaning industry produces a quality of
product that's mediocre at best (there, I said it and I'm not sorry
for saying it).

For years, industry experts, industry consultants and national
industry associations have been banging the drum of product
quality. They've exhorted (no, actually they've begged) cleaners to
refocus on quality of product and the critical ingredients that
comprise quality of product -- skills, processes, craftsmanship,
equipment and facilities.

All to little or no effect.

So how did the industry land in this cesspool of mediocrity?

Because cleaners drifted away from quality of product (a truly
difficult undertaking) and focused instead on other differentiating
factors (a much easier undertaking).

First it was
service -- same day service, next day service,
smiley-face service, have-a-nice-day service, etc.

Next it was
conveniences -- 3 day pickup and delivery, 24/7 drop
off, 24/7 order retrieval, credit and debit cards, house accounts,
etc.

Fact is, for many cleaners it doesn't even matter
whether there's any truth to their green claims. Just saying
you're green is all that counts.

After all, you can experience the service, you can take
advantage of the conveniences, and you can see, hear and smell the
image and the glitz. But apart from reusable garment bags
you'll never know the truth about their green
claims.

For example, in the metro Phoenix area market we've got a "Green
Cleaners" that drycleans in perchloroethylene (aka perc). We've
even got an "Organic Cleaners" (aka OrganiCare Fine Garment Care
Centers aka OrganiCare Fine Drycleaning and Laundry) that drycleans
in synthetic petroleum at one location and perc at a second
location. That's right. A "Green Cleaners" and an "Organic
Cleaners" that dryclean in perc -- the very same solvent that they
decry as a potential human "cancer causing carcinogen" as well
as a groundwater and air pollutant.

The greening of the drycleaning industry is admirable. But, as
usual, the thing that's all the rage is being oversold and over
hyped. What's more, it deflects attention away from the only matter
that really counts: true quality cleaning.

Of course, it doesn't have to be an either or
situation. You can have both. You can be a
true quality cleanerand be green. RAVE FabriCARE is a case in
point.